Vulcanizing apparatus



Apnl 23, 1940. w. a. FREEMAN VULCANIZING APPARATUS Filed Jaxr. 29.l ls? I6@ vII IDI

III

Patented Apr. 23, 1940 l i 2,198,493

UNITE@ STATES F''ENT OFFICE VULCANIZING APPARATUS Walter B. Freeman, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, as-

signor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 29, 1937, Serial No. 122,893

3 Claims. (C1. iii- 17) This invention relates to vulcanizing apparalowered to strip the tire from the mold. To pretus, and is especially useful in the vulcanization Vent escape of steam around the rods 24, stuing of pneumatic tire casings. boxes 25 are provided in the wall of the steam The principal objects of the invention are to box. 5 provide for vulcanizing a single article at a time To hold the bull ring 23 in place, coil springs 26 5 by the use of standard molds at low cost with a are mounted upon rods 24 between the steam box minimum amount of steam, and to provide simand nuts 2'I fastened to the rods. plicity, adjustability and convenient manipula- In order to prevent the halves of the steam box tion of the apparatus. from blowing apart where high pressure steam is These and other objects will appear from the used, and to permit the use of low pressure water 10 following description and the accompanying for operating the hydraulic ram, the box member drawing. I6 is formed with an outwardly turned inter- Of the drawing: rupted flange 28 and the lower box member I5 r Fig. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, partly is provided with a rotatable locking ring 29 havl" in cross section. ing an inwardly turned interrupted flange 30.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, taken on line 2-2 These iianges are adapted to pass each other and of Fig. 1 showing in plan a part of the lower half upon turning the ring 29 they prevent return of the vulcanizing apparatus. movement, the arrangement being similar to a Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showbreech lock on a gun. ing the mold and its enclosing steam box in For the accommodation of molds of different 29 closed relation with a tire casing and pressure thicknesses a telescopic construction is provided. bag in place. The steam box I5 is threaded about its exterior Referring to the drawing, the numeral IU desand ring 29 is formed with corresponding ignates the hydraulic cylinder, I I the ram, I2 the threads. Also the box I6 is provided with a long movable platen, and I3 the xed platen of a hydepending skirt 3| adapted to telescopically slide 25 draulic press. Mounted upon the movable platen within the rim of the box I5. A lip gasket 32 I2 by means of bolts I4 is the lower half I5, of a of rubber is set in an annular groove formed in steam box, the upper half I6, of which is atthe inner face of the vertical walls of the box tached by bolts` I1 vto the fixed platen I3. The member I5 so as to engage the skirt 3| over a 30 arrangement is such that lowering of the ram range of adjustments of the box members. -By 30 separates the halves of the steam box and raising rotation of the ring 29, the steam box may be adof the ram forces them together. The halves of justed to lock the box members at diilerent spacthe box when brought together denne a steam ings to accommodate molds of different thickchamber of sufcient size to accommodate a sinnesses, and the lip gasket 32 will seal the box 35 gle tire mold and to heat the same without waste against escape of steam at any position within of steam. The box is also adapted to hold the the range of adjustment. mold halves in engagement and is large enough To provide for rapid adjustment and locking to accommodate molds of different sizes. of the ring 29, a pinion is mounted on a stub In order to permit circulation of the steam shaft rotatably mounted in a lug 46 fixed to box 4o around the molds, the lower box member I5 is member I5, and is adapted to engage gear teeth 40 formed with ribs |50, across its bottom upon 33 formed on ring 29. The pinion may be rotated which the mold half I8 is supported, the mold by a crank (not shown) to turn the ring. half being fastened to the box by bolts I9. The To provide steam circulation through the box half I9 is similarly formed with ribs Ia on steam box, an inlet pipe 34 is connected to the 4.3 its lower face to which the mold half 29 is upper box member, and an outlet pipe 35 is con- 45 clamped by bolts 2|. The steam may freely cirnected to the lower box member and provided culate around the back of the mold between the with flexible means such as the hose 36 to permit ribs. raising and lowering of the ram.

The mold halves themselves may be of any Where it is desired to use an expansible bag 3T 50 suitable construction. The bull ring 22 is prefto expand the tire in the mold, a pressurer con- 50 erably bolted to the mold half 20, whereas the nection therefor is provided through the lower bull ring 23 is preferably free and has attached box member. For this purpose a flexible pipe 38 thereto a plurality oi knock-out rods 24 which is connected to the stem 39 of the bag by a couextend through the steam box I5 and are adaptpling 4D. The other end of the pipe 38 is coned to engage the cylinder I0 when the ram is nected through a tapped opening 4I to a pipe 42, 55

` which by means of a exible hose 43 is connected to a source of pressure.

By the use of this device a manufacturer having a stock of molds of various sizes may utilize these molds to cure a single tire at a time without excessive waste of steam. The device may also be used in repairing or retreading tires by the use of molds of standard design, as the small amount of steam required may be obtained by use of a very small boiler and the locking mechanism permits use of low pressure water supply to the ram.

In the operation of the device, a tire is placed in the lower mold half with its pressure bag in place. The pipe 38 is connected to the stem of the pressure bag. The ram is raised to close the mold. The ring 29 is adjusted to lock the steam box. Steam is then admitted to the steam box through the pipe 34 and the pressure bag is inflated. After vulcanization the pressure bag is deflated, the steam supply to the box is shut 01T and the steam in the box blown oi through the pipe 35. The ring 29 is then turned to unlock the steam box and the ram is lowered. In lowering the ram,` they rods 24 contact with the cylinder I0 and loosen the tire from the lower mold half. The connection d0-is removed and the tire is then removed from-its mold.

1. Apparatus for individually employing a tWopart mold, said apparatus comprising heater box sections, at least one of said sections being movable to open` and close the box and said sections in their closed relation being adapted to enclose the mold and to vprovide circulation of heating fluid about the mold within the box, means for securing the mold parts to respective box sections with each 'mold part substantially stationary with respect to its box section and in a man- Y ner such thatclosing of the sections causes mating of `the mold parts, the box sections being telescopically assembled in their c-losed position in a manner not to hinder the application of high molding pressure to the mold'parts, means for applying molding pressurel directly to the box sections and through them to the mold parts, means comprisinga movable wall portion of a box section for. adjusting and locking the section to lock molds of varying thickness in the box against failure of molding pressure, and

means for sealing the joint between the box sections while permitting adjustabilty of the sections in their telescoped relationship.

2. Apparatus for individually employing a twopart mold, said apparatus comprising heater box sections, at least one of said sections being movable to open and close the box and said sections in their closed relation being adapted to enclose the mold and to provide circulation of heating fluid about the mold within the box, means for securing the mold parts to respective box sections with each mold part substantially stationary with respect to the box section and in a manner such that closing of the sections causes mating of the mold parts, the box sections being telescopically assembled in their closed position in a manner not to hinder the application of high molding pressure to the mold parts, means entirely outside the box for applying molding pressure directly to the box sections and through them to the mold parts, means comprising a movable wall portion of a box section for adjusting and locking the section to lock molds of varying thickness in the box against failure of molding pressure, the movable portion being threadedly mounted on its box section and having locking means engageable with the other box section, and means for sealing the joint between the box sections while permitting adjustabilty of the sections in their telescoped relationship.

3. Mold apparatus comprising heater box sections, at least one of said sections being movable to open and close the box and said sections in their closed relation being adapted to enclose a replaceable mold and to provide circulation of heating uid about the mold Within the box, the box sections being assembled in their closed position in a manner not to hinder the application of high molding pressure to the mold, means for applying molding pressure directly to the box sections and through them to the mold, and means for locking the sections in their closed relation to maintain closure of the mold irrespective of the molding pressure, said locking means being adjustable to accommodate molds of Varying thicknesses in the box, and means for sealing the joint between the box sections while permitting adjustabilty of said locking means.

WALTER B. FREEMAN. 

